All posts filed under: Spring

Rhubarb Jam for Urtekram

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I have just started to blog for Danish health food producers Urtekram. They make high quality organic food and beauty products, which are for sale in Denmark as well as here in the UK. If you can read danish (!) then I’ll be blogging from here a couple of times a month. I’ll be highlighting some of their fantastic products in my recipes, which I’m sure will tempt you – such as Low-Fat Organic Cocoa and Organic Coconut Sugar.   Let me share my fist blog post from Urtekram here with you, in English! Delicious and sweet homemade rhubarb jam, made with my own freshly picked rhubarb.   Rhubarb Jam Makes 2-3 large jars Ingredients 500g rhubarb, cut into chunks 500g organic sugar 1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways 1/2 organic lemon Put a small plate in the freezer. Put the rhubarb into a large saucepan and heat until the rhubarb begins to go soft. Next add the sugar and halved vanilla pods. Continue to heat gently, stirring, until all the sugar has dissolved, then squeeze in the …

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pesto and Dill

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Last weekend, my fiancé and I got our dates completely mixed up and thought it was Easter. So we exchanged easter eggs, and had a nice dinner. Then yesterday, we realised it is this coming Sunday! Oh well, we’ll just have two Easters this year! I love this time of year, where daffodils are peeking up, the birds are chirping and spring is in the air. And I really love easter as a way of celebrating all that the new season is giving us. This delicious Roasted Tomato Tart isn’t strictly a spring dish, it is in fact a summer dish that I made last year, with my bountiful amount of homegrown tomatoes. I adore growing tomatoes, as the colour varieties are endless, and it makes for some really vibrant dishes. Chocolate Cherry, White Cherry, Yellow Grape and Beef Steak Tomatoes where just some of last years produce – they almost made up the entire colour wheel. For this homemade quiche, I added homemade pesto to the recipe to give it an extra punch of …

Green Vegan Spinach Crépes

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A friend of mine has recently started on the Hay Diet. Not for weight loss, but for general well being. I’m not overly familiar with the rules, but I do know that mixing protein and carbohydrates, is not allowed. So the other day, whilst her husband served up a big batch of pancakes, she couldn’t have any, as the egg and flour combination is off the menu. I felt a little guilty tucking in to the warm sweet desert, (but not guilty enough not to have any!) so I thought I’d try my hand at making her a pancake/crépe recipe she could enjoy. I experimented with egg free pancakes, and the results where really rather good. However, I’m still not sure weather these vegan crépes are Hay friendly, as the almond milk may be to protein rich..But they are definitely vegan! And they are definitely tasty, and absolutely green! I also cut back on the amount of almond/soy milk needed by blending up a cup of ultra green spinach juice. This works amazingly well in …

Twice Cooked Butternut Squash Pasta

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I woke up to the sound of lovely bird song this morning, the sun was shining, and on closer inspection, the daffodil heads had come up from between their green shoots. How exciting, spring will come again! And after a long walk with the dog, I fancied a pasta dish I made for Kitchen Garden Magazine back in November. For this deliciously heart-warming dish, use either pumpkin or butternut squash. They both work well, but sometimes pumpkin can be hard to find out with Halloween, unless you have a farm shop near by. What makes this dish a little different is the pan-frying of the pasta. This merges and melts all the flavours into a mouthwatering lunch or dinner. ___________________________________________________________ Ingredients Serves 4 1 medium butternut squash 1 large onion, peeled and diced 3 cloves garlic, minced a dash of olive oil 1 small handful fresh sage leaves 500g pasta 50g pumpkin seeds good quality hard cheese , grated for the top salt and pepper to taste ______________________________________________________   Pre heat the oven to 200C/fan …

Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Fizz

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You can’t but marvel at nature, especially whilst cooking fruits like the colourful rhubarb. It is always a joy to create impressive looking dishes and drinks all done with nature-powered colourings. I have rhubarb popping up in my garden, and I’m on my second harvest already, so I thought a little celebratory drink to mark the arrival of spring is in order! _____________________________________ Rhubarb and Ginger Gin Fizz Syrup: 200g sugar 200 ml water 150g finely chopped rhubarb 1/2 vanilla bean, pod split and scraped 1 thumb of fresh ginger, finely chopped Mixers: 100ml gin 100ml rhubarb syrup 150ml prosecco or other sparkling wine a squirt of lemon juice crushed ice to serve 4 sprigs of rosemary __________________________________ To make the syrup: Combine all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook gently until the fruit is soft and the liquid has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Pour and strain the liquid into a large bowl. Pour the hot syrup into a sterilized glass …

Super Green Spinach Smoothie

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  I don’t know about the rest of the world, but here in Scotland, its still cold and wet. April is said to be the rainiest month, and my garden is living proof. I’ve not seen the sky for 10 days straight, just a drab grey cloud cover. In which case, now’s a good time to devour some extra vitamins – the green way! A super green spinach smoothie to boost your immune system, and get you lean and mean for spring time! Helping the spinach become more palatable, is sweet pear and tangy kiwi, delicious yoghurt and fragrant vanilla. Once blended, its best to drink the smoothie immediately. __________________________________   Serves 2 1 large handful of spinach (50g) 1 kiwis 2 bananas 150ml pear juice 2 tbsp natural yogurt ¼ vanilla pod, scraped a dash of lemon juice _________________________________ Chop the banana and kiwi into chunks and pop them in the freezer for 30min. (they do the job of ice cubes) Place the spinach and pear juice into the blender, and blitz until smooth. …

Pear and Marzipan Tartlets with Lemon Marmalade

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Spring seems to come and go, this past week. But there are sure signs of its increasing presence, with the hedgerows turning light green and the daffodils standing tall in full bloom. Spring will triumph once again! And if you feel like you are just sitting around waiting for spring to really get going, then I’ve got just the recipe if you’ve got a bit of time on your hands.   These little pear and marzipan tarts are a perfect afternoon treat, for friends and family to enjoy on a grey day. ______________________________________________ Makes 8 tarts For the pastry 225g plain flour 100g butter 80g sugar 1 large free range egg ½ lemon, zested Frangipane filling 170g sugar 170g ground almonds 50g marzipan 1 tbsp flour 1 large free range egg 1 tsp almond extract ½ lemon, zested Plus 3-4 pears, sliced 2 tbsp almond flakes 5 tbsp lemon marmalade, heated ____________________________________________ Add the cold butter and flour to a food processor and blitz to bread crumbs. Add the sugar and egg, and blitz until just …

Baked Breakfast Eggs with Courgettes and Dill

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When I get a new piece of kitchen equipment, such as these pretty little turquoise ramekins, Im always looking for an excuse to use them. And what I most often use ramekins for, are to make delicious and easy baked eggs. Yum! You can never have to many eggs in your larder, and Im lucky enough to have friends with hens, so I know exactly where these tasty eggs are from. This dish can either be a lazy morning breakfast for guests, or a hassle free dinner, if your not overly hungry. I like to add a bit of chilli or spinach, but for this recipe I’ve chosen courgette and dill. Serve with some hearty sourdough bread to scoop out the sill runny yolk! _________________________________________________ Makes 4 portions 4 organic eggs 4 tbsp cream 1/2 a courgette, sliced a few springs of dill 1 tbsp olive oil a knob of butter salt and pepper to taste ______________________________________________ Preheat the oven to 170°C and put the kettle on to boil. Butter the ramekins and place a …

Beech and Wild Garlic Canapés

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Walking my dog this morning, I was greeted by the beautiful sight of the beech tress bursting into leaf. Finally! Growing up in Denmark, I have come to associate the mark of spring with the sight of fresh beech leaves lightly decorating the tall trees in the forests. I was also thrilled to see that the entire forest flour was covered by the beautiful snow white flowers of the wild garlic. They are extremely pretty incorporated into a salad, or stuck in a vase at home, if you dont mind the faint smell of garlic..Or make them into this great recipe I have adapted a super simple recipe from Anette Eckman’s ‘Naturens Spisekammer’ that uses new beech leaves filled with cheese, as a little spring snack. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 24 new beech leaves 200g soft cream cheese 4 wild garlic leaves 1 tsp cayenne pepper or chilli oil a pinch of salt and pepper ____________________________________________________________________________________ Pick your beech leaves and wild garlic leaves the day you intend to eat them. Wash and pat them dry. Finly chop …

Wild Nettle Bread

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With the little bit of heat we have greatly received over the last couple of days, all sorts of wild green plants have sprung to life, including stinging nettles. What was lying dormant as small shoots, have all at once shot up 30 cm in just a few days. I find springtime incredible, and if you are lucky enough to have a garden to view every day, you can really notice the fast pace at which the vegetation grows. Instead of mowing down your nettle patch, try using them in your cooking! Here I have created a recipe using a few handfuls of nettles added to bread dough. Its delicious, and nutritious! ____________________________________________________________________________________   Makes 6 large sandwich rolls 1 tsp easy bake yeast 500g organic shipton mill strong white flour 1 tbsp honey 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt a big handful of scolded and chopped nettles 350ml luke warm water 6 extra big nettle leaves for the top 1 egg ____________________________________________________________________________________ Start by harvesting your stinging nettles, with gloves on. Once home, …